Who We Are

Mission

NGOsource aims to dramatically improve the efficiency of international grantmaking and inspire a significant increase in cross-border philanthropy by centralizing, streamlining, and standardizing the equivalency determination process for U.S. grantmakers.

Who Joins NGOsource?

NGOsource is open to the entire grantmaking community, including independent, corporate, community, operating, and family foundations, as well as donor advised funds, intermediary organizations, and public charities.

The NGOsource Team

We are a dedicated team working to accelerate global giving. Meet the team.

Our History

2006 — Recognizing the need for streamlined international giving, a consortium of international funders and the Council on Foundations, Foundation Center, and Independent Sector initiated a process to make equivalency determination easier.

2007 — These organizations met with IRS officials to discuss their vision.

2008 — TechSoup was chosen to build and manage the service because of its extensive global network and proven ability to offer scalable, sustainable services that facilitate philanthropy. TechSoup and the Council on Foundations then joined with legal partners Caplin & Drysdale and Adler & Colvin to design and operate NGOsource in compliance with U.S. legal requirements.

2009 — TechSoup and the Council on Foundations submitted requests to the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury in support of NGOsource and to urge clarification of certain ED standards.

2013 — NGOsource's equivalency determination service launched on March 18.

2014 — NGOsource adds ATN-TechSoup Brasil on as a global partner. TechSoup now offers ED support in five languages with the addition of Portuguese to French, Spanish, English, and Chinese.

September 2015 — Final rules on equivalency determinations issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service affirm the NGOsource approach, strengthening grantmakers' ability to confidently rely on EDs provided through their repository.

TechSoup equips changemakers with the transformative technology solutions and skills they need to improve lives globally and locally. The TechSoup Global Network, a partnership among 70 of the world's leading civil society organizations, manages a range of capacity-building programs to serve communities in nearly every region of the world. The network has reached 993,000 organizations and delivered more than US$10 billion in technology tools and philanthropic services.

An active philanthropic network, the Council on Foundations, founded in 1949, is a nonprofit leadership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. It provides the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance and sustain their ability to advance the common good. The Council empowers professionals in philanthropy to meet today's toughest challenges and advances a culture of charitable giving in the U.S. and globally. For more information, please visit www.cof.org

Disclaimer: This site provides information to U.S. grantmakers regarding international grantmaking procedures, and should not be construed as a legal service or providing legal advice. As the law differs in each legal jurisdiction and may be applied differently depending on the specific circumstances of each case, the information or use of services on the site should not be used as a substitute for the advice of competent legal counsel.